Skip to main content

A matter of Taste

As humans we have taste.  Or so we would like to think.  Taste for both the edible and not so edible.  We also view ourselves on a sliding scale of expertise or interest among our peers to be either an amateur or an expert at something when it comes to admiration for or competency in discussing something tasteful.

To that end this weekend, I watched a couple of documentaries.  One showcasing the human fascination for speed and the other for food.

I am gullible in both cases.   The fastest land travel in my case has been on board a train in Spain which clocked at 218 mph.  This documentary I watched however showed some of fastest production cars including a Dodge and a Bugatti.  They were driven by showman Jay Leno.

He also introduced the viewers to the fastest woman on land called Jesse Combs who drove top speed of 440 mph in Oregon a few years ago.  She has the taste for really fast things.  So does Jay in that he has collected something like a 100 unique vehicles in his private garage and can afford the total cost of ownership.

When it comes to food it is hard to put a number.  Fastest, tastiest or most decorative or the most time to cook are not really standardized metrics and thus food remains a largely subjective domain.  The film I watched was called Foodies.

It follows a handful of food critics (because they all blog their experiences) who travel the world to eat at the best rated (mostly Michelin star) establishments and present their own take.  The one writer has had his fill at all 108 three Michelin starred restaurants in the world making him an eccentric but also a rare one.

Obviously this requires these hobbyists to have the means to accomplish this uniquely odd feat.  Some are seriously wealthy due to being successful businessmen but some are just regular Joes or Janes.  They save up all their money to make the pilgrimage.  Which is exactly how I see it.  It is no different than someone following a trail to a chapel or temple in search of the holy and nourish the spirit or someone going to a rock concert just to get a glimpse of their favorite guitarist.  Or the scotch tasting tours of Scotland.

In this case it is also to nourish the body - literally.

What struck me as odd as it has in the past in watching these type of food films is the consistent absence of Indian food.  This is a tragedy.  I think I see an idea here.  After I stop doing my day job I might just take the plunge and do something similar for Indian food.  In which I might add I have some degree of experience.  Consuming mostly - some about the art of making it.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Of Jims and Johns

Here is another essay on the subject of first names. As in birth names. Or names provided to an offspring at birth. While the developed world tends to shy away from the exotic like Refrigerator or Coca Cola for their new production there is a plethora of Jims and Johns and Bobs or Robs. Speaking of which I do not think there is a categoric decision point at the time of birth if a child will be hereafter called as Bob. I mean have not yet met a toddler called Bob or Rob for that matter. At some point though the parental instinct to mouth out multiple syllables runs out and they switch from calling the crawler Robert to simply Robbie to Rob. Now speaking of - it is strange that the name sounds like something you would not want Rob to do - i.e. Rob anyone. Then why call someone that? After all Rob Peter to Pay Paul is not exactly a maxim to live a young life? Is it? Perhaps Peter or Paul might want to have a say in it? Then there is this matter of going to the John. Why degrad...

But What If We're Wrong?

I attempted to read this book by author Chuck Klosterman backward to forward but it started hurting my brain so I decided to stop and do it like any other publication in the English language.  Start from page 1 and move to the right. Witty, caustic and thought provoking this is a book you want to read if you believe that the status quo might, just might be wrong. At times bordering on being contrarian about most things around us it tries to zero in on the notion of what makes anything believable and certain in our minds.  The fact that there is a fact itself is ironic.  Something analogous to the idea that you can never predict the future because there is no future. Many books and movies have tried to play on this concept - best that I recollect (I think I am) was 'The Truman Show'.  This book by Klosterman attempts to provoke the reader to at least contemplate that what they think they know may be wrong. He uses examples like concept of gravity, and how it ...

Presumptive Society

Today's world is hyper connected.  I am not so sure what it means but you hear it a lot.  It is probably hyper but not sure how connected it is.  Sugar (fermented or not) is available in many ways than before and so getting hyper is easy.  It is probably more a threat than cocaine since it is sold legally. And what is this connected stuff?  Most people I encounter seem disconnected from reality.  So going back to this assumption that we are connected there are subtle and no so subtle instances of how brands and companies and middle men try to portray someone - A linkedin profile for somebody working for X years at a place advertises to the connected network that so and so is CELEBRATING X years @ Such and Such Inc. Do we know if (s)he is celebrating or cringing?  Perhaps a better way to portray will be - So and So LASTED X years @ such & such inc. Then it exhorts the readership to go ahead and congratulate them for this lasting effe...